Erin Gunn said she met Dunn on a group ride last year — that Dunn pitched her on road racing, and pretty soon Gunn was signing up for races.

“She was just real genuine,” Gunn said. “She cared about you, and you knew it was real. She had no hidden agenda.”

Gunn recalled a time when the pair attended the same road race. Dunn raced in one category against men and enjoyed a successful result. Gunn competed in a women’s-only class.

“Me?” Gunn said. “I had a bad day. You have a bad race, you get bummed. She could tell I was bummed and took me out to dinner for pizza and beer. I didn’t want to sit home and be sad. It made my night and totally turned my day around.”

Dunn crashed while racing at the San Diego Velodrome on June 18 and died a day later.

No regular Joe

Still rapping infield grounders and arguing with the men in blue, Joe Schloss, 86, is in his 58th straight season coaching for the North Park Little League.

This summer he’s the manager of the league’s 11- and 12-year-old all-star team. Schloss’ team lost a recent game 13-0.

Joe’s son, local PR maven Rick Schloss, heard that another all-star team lost by a 34-0 count.

Said Rick: “I called and said, ‘Dad, I’ve got good news for you. Somebody got beat 34-0. Your 13 to nothing’s not that bad.”

Wimbledon needs to steal some of those signs you see when driving on winding mountain roads: Slippery when wet. …

Headline this one “Thank you Capt. Obvious”: Their upcoming 10-game road trip could determine if the Padres are playoff contenders. Four vs. the hot Marlins (13-9 in June, for NL’s second-best winning percentage), three each vs. Red Sox and Nats, a combined 47-30 at home. …

Going out on a limb, TJI predicts that the Pirates (48-30) will end their streak of 20 consecutive losing seasons. The Bucs, though, were 16 games over .500 last season before folding. …

Look in the rear-view mirror and beware of the Dodgers.

Readers write

Cardiff’s Kurt Hartman emailed, saying TJI’s opinion that the Padres would be 10 games out by Sept. 1 was “total buzz kill and extremely disappointing.”

Craig Wiederkehr of Blossom Valley was kinder, writing: “I’ve always enjoyed your column. Not sure if it’s because you are wrong so often or if I really enjoy your take on issues in sports. … I think you have a lot of (nerve) making a statement about the Padres being 10 games out by Sept. instead of just keeping your comments to yourself.”

Faulting thin starting pitching and an overtaxed bullpen, TJI is sticking to the “10 games out by Sept. 1” prediction.

The mane story

With his long, flowing blond hair tumbling past the top of his back, Poway High product Charley Hoffman is one of the easiest players to spot on the PGA Tour.

Reader Andy Carlson, owner of golf-24-seven.com, thinks Hoffman should market a visor/wig similar to the ones featuring shocking blond hair. Only Hoffman’s faux hair would spill down the back.

Carlson’s name for the product: Charleylocks.

Kudos dept.

The Albion boys 18-and-under club team won the U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regional Championships in Honolulu last weekend. Next up for the Point Loma-based team: nationals, July 22-28 in Overland Park, Kan.

It’ll be Albion’s third trip to nationals in the last four years. The team is seeking its first U.S. title. …

The San Diego Nomads Men’s Over 30 team won the Region IV Championships earlier this month, advancing to the nationals July 19-21 in San Antonio.